San Mateo: Man arrested on suspicion of pimping, assaulting woman

SAN MATEO -- A Fresno man was arrested on suspicion of pimping and assault after he beat up a woman had forced into sex work, police said.

Shane Joshua Lusalah, 21, was arrested around 1 a.m. on June 30 at a hotel on North Bayshore Boulevard after he assaulted an unidentified woman and kicked her out of the hotel room, according to San Mateo police.

When asked why he attacked her, the woman, who referred to Lusalah as "her pimp," said she had realized she was being victimized and attempted to call the front desk for emergency service.

Police said the woman revealed she had met Lusalah weeks before and that she had accepted money for sex at least 15 times in other cities in California, though police did not say where.

The woman told police Lusalah only gave her food and a place to sleep and that he arranged many of her "dates" and kept any money she received. Investigators also found a web page where Lusalah advertised the woman's services.

Lusalah was booked into San Mateo County Jail on suspicion of human trafficking, pimping, assault and felony vandalism.